Method of making tiles.



PATENTBD JULY 24, 1906.

G. W. BLAIR. METHOD OF MAKING TILES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1905.

8 BHEETSSHEET 1.

r [614 mvem-oa PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

G. W. BLAIR. METHOD OF MAKING TILES.

APPLICATION FILED KAB,25. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR No. 826,827. PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

G. W. BLAIR.

METHOD OF MAKING TILES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25. 1905.

s sums-sum s.

WITNESSES IIVII'I'OR UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

GEORGE W. BLAIR, or PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. METHOD oF MAKING TILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1906,.

Application film March 25,1905. Rerial No. 251,990.

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BLAIR, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Method of Making Tiles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 shows in vertical section, partly in elevation, a mold adapted for the practice of my invention. tion on the line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the bottom plate of the mold. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing a modified a paratus for operating the parts of the mold and Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views showing, respectively, the blank which is made b m invention and one of the tiles which is ivi ed from the blank.

Heretofore glass tiles have been made commercially either by pressing the tiles in suitable molds or by blowing a hollow cylinder, flattening it, and then dividing it into tiles of suitable size. Tiles have also been made by rolling a sheet of glass and dividing it into suitable sizes; but prior to my invention I know of no successful method of making blown-glass tiles which do not need to be subseguentl flattened, andmyj invention provi es e cient means by, ch this IS done.

In the practice of my invention I employ a mold adapted to form a hollow blankhavmg flat sides and divide the blank thus formed at the angles so as to constitute,preferably, as many tiles as there were sides-to the blank. I also preferably use in conjunction with such tmold a movable device by which the tiles are provided with undercut portions adapting them to obtain a firm hold on the mortar or cement with which they are placed on the walls.

In the "drawin s, 2 represents the baseplate of the moFd. The molditselfcomprises several side pieces or plates 3 3, of which I show four in the drawings. These plates 3 3 are fixed to arms 4 4, which are hinged to ether at points 5, so that the sides of the'mo d can be closed together to form a cavity of polygonal cross-section or canbe opened for the purpose of releasing the blank after it has been blown. The inner corners of the sides or plates 3 3 referabl do not meet, but afiord interme iate cavl- Fig. 2 is a horizontal sec-v free opening of the parts of the mold. I-

may use any suitable means for projecting an retracting these pieces 6. In Fig. 3

show a device for that purpose consisting of a rotary plate 7, having arms 7 which constitute, in effect, bell-crank levers, and these arms are connected bylinks 8 8 with the slid;-

ing pieces 6, which, as shown in Fig. 1, are mounted in radial grooves 9 in the bottom plate of the mold. The connection between the links 8 and the sliding pieces 6 is prefer ably madeof vertical boltslO, which also move in slots 11 below the slots 9-.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 I employ a rotary plate 7, having camooves 12, adapted to en a e the ends of li s connected with the si ng pieces 6, so that by rotating the plate 7 at the appropriate time the cam-grooves will cause the reciprocation of the pieces 6.

In the practice of my invention I close the parts of the mold so as to bring it into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and I may hold the sections together by means of a in- 13, or they may be held together by the mo dboy, who grasps the handles 14. A blowover section 15 is then placed on the top of the mold'and a gathering of glass is'introduced into the mold and is blown therein thus forming a blank of the cross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 5, having a blow-over at the top formed by the mold portion 15and a blow-over at the bottom formed by a flaring portion 16 at the base of the mold-cavity. This blank has fiat sides I), and at the corners it has inwardly indented portions c, which are formed by the ends of the movable sections 6. When the blank has thus been blown, the sections 6 are retracted by turning the plate 7 by means of its hand-lever 17, and the molded parts which are then free to be opened are retracted from the blank. The blank is then removed, the blow-over at its ends are cracked oil in the usual way, and the blank is then divided. into four pieces by cutout or not. tiles ofthe shape shown in Fig. 6, each of ting it on the lines of the indented portions 0 at the corners.

As the glass is chilled somewhat along the indented portions at the corners, I preferably reheat the blank before dividing 1t into the tiles. This may be easily carried out by placing the blank in a glory-hole furnace, which will not only serve to soften the hardened glass at the corners and make the cuttin easier, but also serves to give a firepohsh to the surface of the tiles. I thus improve the appearance at the same time that the glass is improved for cutting. I also pre' fer to pass the blank through the annealing-.

leer' before it is cut into tiles; The blowovers may or may not be present when the blank is assed through the leer, and by annealing t e blank as a Whole the tiles act to support each other and prevent warping in the leer. If the blanks were broken or cut apart before annealing, they wold be liable tov warping and inju in the leer. This an nealing of the blank efore the tiles are severed therefrom I believe to be new and desire to cover it whether the reheatin is carried By these operations form four which is aflat p1ece of glass having marginal lips which are ada ted to -be held by the cement and is ready or use without any further flattening.

My invention is. distinctive in that the tiles are blown against finishing-surfacesthat is to say, surfaces-which give the final form and finish to the tiles. My invention thus enables me to blow a number of tiles at one operation, and as they are all of uniform size and shape and do not need any treatment further than the severing of the individual tiles from the blank the manufacture is very cheap and ra id, enabling a large output to be produced. he indentations at the corners of the blank enable it to be divided into pieces with ease and great accuracy.

The invention enables me to make tiles much lighter than can be madeb pressingand yet with all the advantages 0- uniformity and cheapness which the method of pressing affords. It also produces atile having a much better and more highl polished surface than can be produced by pressing or rolling. By making the tiles in this way I also avoid the difliculties of warping of the in inserting glass within a mold, blowing it in hollow form against finishing-surfaces of the mold, and simultaneously indenting the corner portions, and then severing the tiles along the indented portions; substantially as described.

3. The method of making tiles, which consists in blowing a hollow blank against finishing-surfaces at an angle to each other'and forming indented portions in the blank by means of a forming-surface, retracting the forming-surface from the indented portions, then releasing the blank from the mold and dividing it substantially as described.

4. The method of making lass blanks, which consists in ex anding a ollow blank against finishing-sur aces with blow-overs at the ends and with fiat sides, then removing the blow-overs and dividing the tiles from the blank; substantially as described.

5. The method of making tiles, consisting in blowing a hollow blank against angular finishing-surfaces, removing and reheating the blank, and then dividing it into tiles; substantially as described.

6. The method of making tiles, consisting in blowing a hollow blank against angular finishing-surfaces, annealin the'blank, and thereafter dividing the blan into tiles; substantially as described.

7. The method of making tiles, consisting in blowing a hollow blank against angular finishing-surfaces, reheating the blank, annealing the blank, and then dividing the blank into tiles; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have'hereunto set my hand. 7

GEORGE W. BLAIR. Witnesses:

JOHN MILLER, H. M. OORWIN. 

